What’s the best age to begin piano lessons successfully?

October 26, 2020 Leslie Young

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When thinking about music instruction, one important consideration for the young student is: “What is the best age to begin piano lessons to be most successful?”

There are quite a few formal studies that could be compared, but the bottom line result is very similar: The younger, the better.

The recommendation offered by Dr. Robert A. Cutietta, Dean of the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, is that “musical experience at an early age is extremely important in a child’s developmental process. Like riding a bike or learning a language, these skills can be learned later in life, but they will never be ‘natural’ in the way that is so important for fluid musical performance.” https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/whats-the-right-age-to-begin-music-lessons

So some kind of methodical introduction to music, piano specifically, would ideally begin for the student about three years of age. This would gradually increase in length of lesson, with the focus being to read and perform, around age six.

The Revolutionary Piano Method for the Itty Bitty Student is designed for young students who are ages 4-5. However, in order to be most successful during the piano lesson, the child should be able to easily do the following:

Sit attentively and follow directions for a short amount of time (one to three minutes). The length of the piano lesson will gradually increase over several months.

Identify right and left hands

Understand the concepts of before and after; up and down; to the right and to the left; next to and hop over; in front of; forward and backward

Count to five easily and recognize the written numbers

Easily recite at least the first half of the alphabet

Recognize letters A B C D E F G and a b c d e f g in a few different fonts

There are benefits for a young student to begin piano lessons. By young, I mean four years old generally, but even students a few months younger will benefit. The first lessons are very short, less than a minute. Over time, the student gradually increases attention span and the ability to sit quietly and be engaged in the instruction. His introduction to the keyboard should be brief, fun, and include frequent praising. A reluctant three-year-old may desire to just watch a sibling or parent be taught the first lesson, so that he can see it would not be overwhelming.

This first lesson’s procedure should be repeated for multiple lessons until the student is very comfortable and confident in his ability to succeed. Keep doing the same lesson until the student is almost getting tired of it because he can do it so well – twice, four times, ten times – however many days it takes! The key is for the student to go at his/her individual pace and be successful (not perfect) at the task for the lesson.

Itty Bitty Lesson Book 1 would be the first book to use for subsequent short lessons of less than five minutes. The lesson time gradually increases as the student’s attention span and capabilities increase.

What Would the First Lesson for a Young Student Look Like?

What Would the First Lesson for a 6 to Teen Look Like (video)?